Keymonus Posted May 27, 2020 (edited) Spoiler Rising through the ranks Rimbaud's Raiders In the wide blue sea The Pearl of the South Something worth dying for We are all gone Not far from Fort Arltrees, May 620, El Oleonda Tlaloc, the native scout, was right as usual. A few broken branches, a bush cut by with a machete, some light footprints in the mud... that was enough for him: he understood that a band of Lotii was following a small Carnite patrol, and that they both were dangerously near to Fort Arltrees. After several hours of march, almost following a straight line towards the coast, the Oleander soldiers finally reached their target. Quite unsurprisingly, Tlaloc sighted them first. Tristan, by gestures, ordered his men to crouch in the tight undergrowth, and slowly crawled towards the small clearing. He already knew what he would have found... The Carnites weren't used at all to the brutal, disloyal fightings in the jungle, that was clear. Exactly as all the Madrician Nations during the first wave of colonization, they arrived in the archipelago with flamboyant uniforms and shiny armors... they expected pitched battles and glorious victories, but they found themselves trapped in a green, suffocating hell. Exactly as the other Madricians during their first battles in the New World, they were completely unprepared. They marched slowly in the undergrowth, plodding in the mud and stumbling on roots, but they couldn't find a single track of the enemies... until the enemies were all around, fast and lethal. How the Lotii had learned to fight so well in the jungle was a mystery... maybe they had found themselves in a similar situation against one of their neighbors, or simply they followed more flexible tactics, but for sure they had the upper hand in the war. Only half of their soldiers had firearms, mainly antiquate matchlocks, but they almost always prevailed in the jungle skirmishes. That day, things had gone in the usual way. The Madricians had made their camp in a dry river bed, an exposed position surrounded by thick vegetation... not a great choice, since they were taken by complete surprise during the lunch and forced to surrender. Only the officer, who was on guard, had a chance to grab his sword, but he was wounded and captured with his men. Unfortunately for them, however, the Lotii had no intention of dragging prisoners with them in their operations, and had chosen a radical solution. One of the soldiers started begging for mercy: "Wait, wait... Please don't kill me! We have found them, we have found the shipwrecks! I'll tell you everything, but don't kill me!". The Lotii laughed. Probably they didn't even understand a word, or they didn't believe him. "Shut up and die like a man!" Yelled the Carnite officer. The Lotii soldiers laughed again. Meanwhile, completely ignoring the brutal spectacle, the Lotii commander was pointing something on a map. Probably, he was planning the itinerary, looking for the next prey. Tristan had definitely seen enough. At first he wasn't so sure about attacking the Lotii band, but he couldn't just sit there and watch unharmed prisoners being slaughtered in front of his eyes. Moreover, those Lotii were dangerously near to Fort Arltrees, and he probably wouldn't have had a second chance before they noticed the settlement. With only five soldiers and a native scout, his forces were largely inferior in numbers, but Tristan had learned an important lesson during his previous campaigns, from the woods of the Varcosian border to the alleys of Charlatan Bay: if you appear out of nowhere, screaming as madmen and shooting on sight, the enemy will hardly have a chance to react, regardless the real force balance. Not exactly what instructors teach in the Royal Military Academy, but simple and quite effective. Or, at least, this was the plan... if things went wrong, Tristan wouldn't have had time to regret his mistake! Well, there was no more time to think now... Tristan gave the signal, a low whistle, and jumped forward, followed by his men. Soon, the Lotii would have learnt that some Madricians knew irregular warfare too! As they had already done in similar circumstances, the Raiders attacked the musketeers first, before they could become a real treat... ...while other soldiers ran towards the guards, blocking the execution and setting the prisoners free. The Carnites were taken by surprise too: most of the prisoners simmply ran for their lives... ...while others remained motionless, paralyzed by terror. The officer alone, probably the only veteran, attempted a reaction, trying to disarm one of the enemies. A Lotii warrior... ...and the last thing he sees! The battle was fierce but short. The Lotii fought well, but were surrounded and disorganized, and soon everything was over. Tristan Rimbaud would have had something quite interesting to write in his relation, including the exact position of the Lotii settlement and of some mysterious shipwrecks, probably the remains of the lost Lotii fleet. Moreover, he had just saved a Carnite patrol from annihilation, probably gaining some useful allies... not bad, for a tiny skirmish in the jungle! Overall view Edited November 18, 2021 by Keymonus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackdeathgr Posted May 27, 2020 Really climactic story! At least the innocent slaughtering was avoided (merely replaced by a not-so-innocent one though ). And as always, nice close up photos! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ross Fisher Posted May 27, 2020 Love the storyline. Really neat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fraunces Posted May 27, 2020 Indeed a real good crafted story! Together with the action a fine entry !! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corweena Posted May 27, 2020 (edited) Great story and read. I had considered doing something like this for my Cat E entry, but got lazy Edited May 27, 2020 by Corweena Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Kingston Posted May 27, 2020 A good story for sure, along with the more cinematic shots. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keymonus Posted May 28, 2020 Thank you, guys! Taking close-up picks in a crowded battlefield was quite a pain (I slaughtered more Lotii with my camera than with swords and bullets ), but I'm very satisfied by the result! 20 hours ago, blackdeathgr said: Really climactic story! At least the innocent slaughtering was avoided (merely replaced by a not-so-innocent one though ). And as always, nice close up photos! Well, killing eleven to save four may be a little morally debatable but... well, who really cares about numbers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blackdeathgr Posted May 28, 2020 10 hours ago, Keymonus said: Well, killing eleven to save four may be a little morally debatable but... well, who really cares about numbers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ayrlego Posted May 28, 2020 Brilliant story, really enjoyable! I definitely got a bit of a French-Indian Wars vibe with some of the descriptions. Fantastic work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
